Leather
by raphfreak
Summary: He was taken young... he was rescued in his teens and now the question is, will he be able to fit in with his family again? Or is he still bound to the life of the pet? It's going to take all of them to win this war. The price of loosing? A life
1. Chapter 1

**_First off, I want to apologize for by absence and I hope I'm slowly returning to the site. Second off, I have some BIG news so please bare with me. Two of my stories, Forever Loved and Combined Terror, I have sadly lost interest in. Please believe me when I say I have tried to write them again, but have failed… so for the time being, those two stories will be taken down. No Matter What will become a stand alone fic for the time being, unless I can find it within myself again to write Forever Loved, the sequel again. _**

**_Through A Dog's Eyes and Believe, however, will be finished as Through A Dog's Eyes is my most favorite story, and most popular right now, and Believe only has one chapter left to it._**

**_The better news is I have started more TMNT fics that I have been writing off and on for a few months so please keep a look out for the following: Leather - Dark Cities, Dark Hearts - Abandoned Treasure - and Deadly Numbers (a repost). _**

**_~raphfreak  
_**

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"_Haha you can't catch me now Leo!" _

"_Wanna bet Raphie?" The young turtle in blue laughed as he ducked his brother in red's flying punch, his brown eyes dancing in excitement. His quick reflex was quickly followed by the sweep of his left foot, hoping it was fast enough to catch the younger turtle off guard. _

_Raphie just laughed as he quickly jumped over the foot, landing lighting on his own two. His amber eyes flicked in the dim light of the sewers as he stuck his tongue out at Leo. _

"_Too slow Leo!" _

_Determination shot through the young leader as he let loose a small growl and pounced like a tiger on a deer, sending both of them tumbling to the concrete floor of the sewer, a struggling mass of green, brown, red, and blue. There was the sound of light grunting, pants, and small growls as they fought before it was quickly replaced by laughter. _

_Leo rolled over on his plastron, giving his brother a relaxed smile, that Raphie easily returned. _

"_Hey… why didn't you guys wait for us?" _

_Leo and Raphie rolled over to find two pairs of eyes staring down at them in contempt, one a light sky blue and the other a light chocolate brown. _

"_Sorry Mikey, sorry Donny." Leo apologized, giving them a lopsided smile. "A certain brother of ours couldn't wait." _

"_Hey!" Raphie gave Leo a light shove, chuckling. "Whateve' you say Leo." _

_Mikey giggled as he looked over at Donny and winked. "Ready Donny?"_

_Donny returned the wink with a small giggle. "Ready Mikey." _

"_Whoa wait… ready fer what?" _

_Leo and Raphie barely had a second to exchanged panicked glanced before they were quickly tacked back down to the ground by two laughing olive and light green siblings. _

"_Nooo! Get offa me Donny!" Leo shrieked, his laugh echoing down the tunnels as he squirmed, struggling to remove his olive colored brother. Donny just shook his head as his fingers continued their merciless onslaught on Leo's sides. _

"_Here come's the green eye'd boogy monster!" Mikey, as best he could manage, tried his "evil laugh" while trying to tickle Raphie, who was bucking and kicking underneath him, trying, yet failing, to hold in his laughter. _

"_No! Mikey…Mikey! Mikey… I…of f… Mikey get off!..." _

"_Never!" _

_And with another "evil" laugh, Mikey went on tickling his red banded brother. _

_All of them were so busy laughing and having fun, that none of them heard the soft sounds of shoes scuffling the ground as it approached quietly, or the sound of bags rustling or the soft breathing of the workers until the heavy beam of a flashlight landed around them._

_All four froze, before four pairs of terrified eyes snapped up to see the hands of a human worker coming at them, a heavy chuckle not far behind. _

_Leo's brain scrambled to unfreeze long enough to utter a single, loud shriek. "RUN!" _

"_Get back here ya stupid freaks!" A voice spat out as all four young brothers jumped up and started running. All need for silence was shoved aside as they ran as fast as they could, their small legs screaming as Leo took the lead, followed by Mikey, Raphie, and Donny. _

"_Run guys!" Leo panted, not daring to look back. There was no need – the heavy cursing of words and the clumps of footsteps steadily approaching told him everything he needed to know. They were being perused and their attacker was fast!_

"_Leo!" Mikey cried out as he stumbled, letting out a small cry as he tripped over a empty can that had no doubt floated up from the trash that was dumped down there on a regular basis. _

_Leo was just about to stop, his head snapping around to help the youngest turtle when he saw a flash of red and there was Raphie, his arms under Mikey's as he helped shove/lift the crying turtle to his feet.  
_

"_Move Mikey move!" Raph gasped, sending a small shove on Mikey's shell. _

_And like that, they were off again, Leo in the front still, leading them. _

Which way… which way…?

_Leo usually could easily find his way around the maze of the sewers, but when he was being chased by men… the very people Father had told them to stay away from… he realized his mistake only a few seconds too late as they ran the corner, having to slide to an abrupt halt as not to hit the concrete wall that faced them._

_A dead end. _

Mikey tripping slowed us down… they're gonna catch up… _Those were Leo's exact thoughts as he heard those dreaded, familiar cries behind him… the same cries he had been praying he wouldn't hear. _

"_Gotcha!" _

"_NO!" _

"_Donny!" Mikey cried out, tears streaming down his cheeks as he sought shelter behind Leo's shell, watching fearfully as the gentles turtle was held up by one cruel arm of a heavy, large man. _

"_No! Put me down!" Donny struggled in the grip, his tiny fingers prying uselessly at the large hand that held him. _

"_Donny!" _

"_No Donny!" _

"_Put him down ya big freak!" _

"_No Raphie!" _

"_No Raphie!" _

"_No Raphie…" _

"Leo?"

"No… Raph…"

"Leo?"

A hand brushed lightly against Leo's shoulder, jerking the young leader from meditation as he shook his head rapidly, looking around to see who had pried him away from his dream.

Light brown eyes stared at him, a mixture of curiosity, sadness, and a touch of pity all in one small orb.

"You ok bro?" Don asked softly.

Leo sighed, just then realizing that his body was covered in a thin layer of sweat and his plastron was heaving up and down, his breathing hard and fast. "Yea… yea Don… I'm… I'm ok… I think."

Don eye's softened sadly. "You were thinking about him again weren't you?"

Not able to blink back the tears or find his voice, all Leo could do was give a small nod.

"Ahh Leo…"

"I can't help it Don…"

It broke the genius turtle's heart to hear the breaking tones in the young leader's voice as he knelt down beside Leo, returning his hand to the trembling green shoulder.

"I just… what if he's still alive? I… I can't help but wonder, ya know?"

"I know Leo," Don's voice was soft as he gathered up Leo in a comforting hug, his hands rubbing soothing circles in Leo's shell. "I know bro, I know."

"… do you think he could still be alive Donny?"

Donny hesitated before answering. He knew, that after many years of Raphael's chance of still being alive were slim to none. Master Splinter had searched for many months for the young six year old turtle after he was taken, only to return to the lair empty handed every time. As they got older, all the turtles learned of what had probably awaited their brother after his capture.

They could only hope, if that had been his fate, it had been quick.

"I… I don't know Leo… I don't know…"

* * *

The smell of fresh straw was heavy in the dimly lit barn as the creatures in it slowly began to awaken with the sun's rays that filtered through the boards of the large barn. All around were small yawns as sleep was fought off which were quickly followed by sounds off many different animals, from the neighs of horses to the barks of dogs, to the screeches of birds and the soft rumble of the bears, harmonizing into one and demanding one thing, and one thing only.

Breakfast.

"All right guys, all right! We're coming" A voice laughed as the demands only seemed to get louder at the sounds of bags tearing and metal cans shaking as morning portions were measured out.

"Morning… Good boy, eat up… there you go… don't eat like that you pig," Each animal was greeted accordingly, followed by the rattle of dishes as they were filled and the squeak of the hose as water buckets were filled to the rim with fresh clean water. They slowly made their way around the large barn, feeding, watering, cleaning bedding, and awarding affectionate pats and strokes to each animal in kind.

In the far corner of the room, a large green foot twitched as amber eyes peered out from underneath the blanket, watching the men make their way around the room. His stomach growled hungrily as he sat up slowly, still watching them cautiously. He'd learned not to trust humans they hard way, his shoulder and legs marked from chains, whips, and anything else they had found to throw and hurt him with.

The leather collar scratched irritably at his throat, the inside of it soft as not the chafe his neck. A small, single brass tag dangled from it, on one side revealing his medical file number, the other showing his name, Bruch, engraved into the steel.

He tensed as two humans approached his cage, both all smiles. One was a woman, the other an older man. One held a hose, the other a bucket filled with fruits, grains, and oats.

"Morning Bruch." The woman greeted cheerfully as she stuck the hose through the bars of the large cage, her finger flipped the small notch and turning on the hose. Immediately the cool clean water rushed forward, filling the bucket quickly. The man smiled a greeting at Bruch as he went to fill up the dog bowl. As soon as the food was poured into the bowl, he took a step back and watched, fascinated, as Bruch slowly crawled forward and began to pick through the foot, eating slowly, keeping it's eerie amber eyes on the pair the whole time.

"He certainly is a beauty." The woman said quietly, watching Bruch pick up an apple slice, sniffing it, before chewing it slowly. The collar moved up and down on his throat as he worked to swallow.

"That he is."

Bruch watched the humans study him as he ate his breakfast. His muscles were tense, prepared to dodge away. He stayed that way till the two humans slowly started to drift away. It was only then he allowed the tears to come to his amber eyes.

_Please… I'm alive… please Leo…Donny… Mikey… _

_Save me… _

_

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_**Let me know if I should leave this as a one-shot, or if I should make it into an actual chapter fic :)**

**REVIEW PLEASE!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey look! I'm sortaish alive! Let me see if there's anyone still interested in this story continuing! Also would love to find someone to bounce ideas off of! Or maybe continue this story themselves! PM me!**

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Leo leaned into his strike, his whole body sweeping into the motion of the blade as it sang through the air. There was no sound more sweet than to hear his blade, almost his partner in battle, kiss the opponent's skin. In this case though, he was grateful that the kiss was rejected, batted away by the swing of a wooden staff. His opponent, with dark brown eyes hidden behind a purple mask, chuckled.

"Gotta be quicker than that Leo,"

Leo's eyes narrowed, as a small grin spread across his lips. "You wanna try that again Donny?"

Donny chucked, giving his weapon a few good expert twists behind his back before resting it in front of him, pointing at his brother. "Nah, I think it's your turn."

The two brothers sat there for a second, their chests rising almost in sync as they watched each other with snake like eyes. Waiting. Watching.

"How long do they usually stand there?" The gorgeous red-head beside Mikey whispered, leaning over to the young brother. He chuckled, his blue eyes lighting up but never leaving the fight before him.

"Awhile dudette. They usually stand there for a total of three minutes before Donny gets annoyed and makes the first move. And Leo counteracts and wins. As usual."

Her green eyes masked confusion, yet slight amusement. "Since when does the genius get annoyed?"

Mikey chuckled. "Since he ran out of things going boom. He's been itching for some action lately."

April's lips pursed together. It wasn't like the three brothers to be getting along so well. Better yet, it wasn't like the three brothers to well... not break stuff. But now that she thought about it, she hasn't received an annoyed phone call from Donatello in weeks, usually asking for a few parts or advice. "Thats... good? I guess?"

"No dudette... not good." Shaking his head, Mikey turned his head back towards his brothers. "Will you two just kill each other already? My food is getting cold."

Don gave Mikey a quick glare before turning his attention back to Leo. It wasn't a split second later that the purple banded turtle lunged, his wooden weapon swinging in a deadly arch. April cringed, but she wasn't sure if it was due to the crunch of the bo staff hitting concrete or the snap of wood as Leo's sword sliced Don's weapon like butter, sending the two ends rolling in opposite ways across the floor. The whole room went dead silent as Donny stood in silence for a split second.

"Damint Leo! This is the third one this week!"

Leo chuckled, sheathing his swords before extending an apologetic look towards the accusing stare. "Sorry Donny...it was that or a concussion."

"I'd rather be patching up your head than my weapon again..." Donny muttered as he retrieved his two pieces of his once great weapon. He studied them for a second before muttering under his breath and tossing them in the corner. There was an overwhelming stack starting to grow in the corner. "You're telling Splinter."

Leo just laughed, clapping him on the shell. "Will do bro,"

April couldn't help herself. "Donny why don't you start training with a metal weapon? Like Leo's? Seems he does more wood splitting than the whole dramatic "clashing of weapons" thing."

The whole room went dead silent. Leo's eyes hardened as they went to the floor. His hand fell from Donny's shell as he stalked away and out of the room, keeping his eyes planted on the floor. Donny stiffened, casting a worried look at Leo while Mikey just gave a nervous cough. April studied the brothers, confused.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No just..." Donny paused, sending a worried look in the direction of the retreating blue banded brother. "It's just...we..."

"Raphael." Mikey finished quietly. April never saw the normally happy turtle look so down in her life, his normally happy blue pools of blue happy and energetic were now depressed.

"Raphael?" April was really confused now.

"We had a fourth brother at one time April..." Don said quietly, reaching behind the young woman and grabbing an old battered photograph from the shelf. It was covered in dust from laying on it's side for years, but a quick puff of breath took care of it. April leaned over, her eyes going wide at the picture.

It was an old photograph, taken from one of those instant cameras. Splinter must have dug it out of the garbage and of course, Donny had probably fixed it. It showed four young turtles sitting on an old, faded red couch. April quickly recognized the three brothers by the color of their masks and the way they proudly held their new weapons. But the fourth turtle sat dead in the center, a happy Mikey on his shell. His skin was much darker than his brother's a forest green color. His mask color was blood red, hiding the most gorgeous eyes April had ever seen. They were deep, dark pools of Amber. They were lit up, a toothy grin on his face as he held two brand new sais in front of him. He was watching the camera, along with his brothers. They looked happy, all of them.

Don smiled sadly. "We had just gotten them. Our weapons..."

April's hand flew up to her mouth, covering it. "Oh my god guys... I'm so sorry... I didn't..."

Mikey shrugged, quickly grabbing the photograph and setting it back on the shelf, not bothering to look at it. "It was awhile ago. He... sacrificed himself protecting us. It was a risk any of us would have... should have taken."

Anything happy in the room was gone as Mikey quietly slipped out of the room. April's heart tugged as she watched tears form in the youngest turtle's eyes. "Donny I'm sorry..."

Don just shook his head. "Don't April. It was awhile ago." He cast a look over at Mikey. "I'll be right back..."

As Donny walked out to comfort his two brothers, April slunk back over to the shelf and grabbed the photograph one more time, studying it. She couldn't place it, but there was something oddly familiar about those amber eyes. She called out to the genius brother, her eyes never leaving the picture.

"Hey Donny?"

"Yea April?"

"Did you guys ever... find him."

Donny stuck his head back in the kitchen, shaking his head. "No... we searched but... nothing. No sign or trace of him. Why?"

"I just..." April's mind was a racetrack, racing with thoughts. Where had she seen those eyes before?

"You just what?" Don stepped fully into the kitchen.

"They seem familiar."

Don's eyes hardened, his hand whipping out and grabbing the photograph from the startled girl. "Don't EVER saw that around them." he hissed. "We've already accepted his death... we don't need anymore false hope."

Around the hardness in his eyes, April could see the tears. "Donny I..."

"Don't."

April just nodded, keeping her mouth shut. It was going to bug her but she knew she saw those eyes before somewhere... somewhere recent too. The way the pools of amber seemed to bore into the soul... they would be hard to miss. And very hard to forget. Her eyes narrowed... where had she seen those eyes before?


End file.
